Re:What it's like to dissect a cadaver
by bookofjoe on Friday November 11, 2022 @11:37AM
(#33562949)
Yes — the smell of the formalin!
In 1970-71, my first year at UCLA med school, we spent four (4) hours 4 (four) days a week in the gross anatomy lab.
First semester was below the neck, second semester just the head and neck.
Fascinating; I enjoyed everything about dissecting our (4 students/body) corpse.
The only bad thing was the smell of the formalin: it was SO strong that my eyes would water every session: they/I never got used to it.
My "Grant's Anatomy" textbook, which was propped up on the cadaver tank every session to guide me, still stunk of formalin 40+ years later, so much so that much as I enjoyed having it as a memory of something I did that was really hard, I threw it away around 2010 because it made every closet or cabinet or drawer I put it in reek.
I suspect ventilation in the dissection room (120 students/30 cadavers) 52 years ago was WAY worse than it is today.
I'm surprised I'm not brain dead from inhaling superstrong formalin vapor 16 hours/week x 16 weeks/semester x 2 semesters = for roughly 500 hours that year.
In 1970-71, my first year at UCLA med school, we spent four (4) hours 4 (four) days a week in the gross anatomy lab.
First semester was below the neck, second semester just the head and neck.
Fascinating; I enjoyed everything about dissecting our (4 students/body) corpse.
The only bad thing was the smell of the formalin: it was SO strong that my eyes would water every session: they/I never got used to it.
My "Grant's Anatomy" textbook, which was propped up on the cadaver tank every session to guide me, still stunk of formalin 40+ years later, so much so that much as I enjoyed having it as a memory of something I did that was really hard, I threw it away around 2010 because it made every closet or cabinet or drawer I put it in reek.
I suspect ventilation in the dissection room (120 students/30 cadavers) 52 years ago was WAY worse than it is today.
I'm surprised I'm not brain dead from inhaling superstrong formalin vapor 16 hours/week x 16 weeks/semester x 2 semesters = for roughly 500 hours that year.
Maybe I am brain dead!